We Bid Moshi Good-bye

Our final day in Moshi was highlighted by the most magnificent view of Mt. Kilimanjaro that we’ve had during the three weeks we’ve been here. Bright sunlight, a cloudless sky, and a huge snowstorm that whitened much of the mountain presented us with a glorious and memorable sight as we began the day.

Jean celebrated her final day of work by reviewing multiplication, division, and exponents and introducing the concept of prime numbers during the math lesson. (This is Jean writing) During Geography, we talked about the North Pole, South Pole, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Equator, and the rotation of the Earth and how it causes day and night. Melissa had brought an inflatable Earth balloon that allowed us to manipulate a sphere and explain how day and night occur throughout the world. Finally, the English class was mainly devoted to learning more about each other. Three of us volunteers who have worked with the students off and on during these last three weeks told them something about ourselves and our families. We also asked them to tell us a bit about themselves. We learned that three of the young women are already married and have a child. One of the young men is 13 years old. Several of them have already lost one or both parents. After that, I gave the class the pencils and Christmas decorations that I had brought as gifts. They were especially excited about the Christmas decorations. I was amazed at how these teenagers and twenty year olds grabbed for the one that they wanted! As the van drove up and I left the school, everyone gave me a hug and Edithe said, “I love you very much, Bibi!” What a terrific send off!

(Back to Kirk again) As a farewell gift, I took my kids a bag of candies, balloons, and an assortment of bobbles with which they made yarn necklaces. Fun was had by all. During the morning, I told the kids that Babu was thirsty and tired. They kindly brought me a water bottle. I took a drink and then spit it out, squirting their faces and fronts wiith quite a spray. I wish you could have seen the several seconds of startled reaction… until they decided it was fun. So thirsty Babu kept on taking drinks from the bottle and spraying the children until they were dripping wet. They danced around, as children do when they run through a sprinkler, and I kept on plastering them with spray from my mouth until they and the floor were completely wet. It was a totally spontaneous and unbelievable moment… and an unforgettable way for Babu and the children to remember each other.

The rest of the day was devoted to taking care of last minute errands, filling out exit/evaluation forms, and packing up to leave. Several volunteers who are staying on arranged for us to have the evening meal together at an Indian restaurant in downtown Moshi. These ten were mostly the older volunteers with whom we have formed meaningful friendships. For a couple hours we talked and ate and reminisced about the times we enjoyed together while in Moshi. It was the perfect way to bid each other fond farewells. On one hand we are sorry to leave because this has been an enjoyable and enriching three weeks. On the other hand, we are eager to move on to experiences on safari and in Ethiopia that we know will be equally satisfying. Moshi, Tanzania and the folks we met here will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

Lala Salama, fo fo fo… from Moshi…
Babu and Mama Jean